The 4 best options to replace Raikkonen at Ferrari

2018 looks like it will really be the year we say goodbye to Kimi Raikkonen, but who take the Ice Man‘s seat? Here are my four best picks.

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo is already being recruited by the Italian media, who are famously influential on Ferrari’s recruitment strategy. The Aussie is on an expiring deal at Red Bull and has already indicated that he’ll be exploring his options before potentially re-signing at Red Bull.

A former teammate of Sebastian Vettel when they were both at Red Bull, Ricciardo can certainly bring the best out of Vettel. They never got along well when they were teammates, but both of them have matured a lot since they parted ways. The Aussie is always good a couple of spectacular races every year, and he’s proven that when he gets given the proper tools, he is capable of greatness.

Valtteri Bottas

A bit of an outside shout, but Valtteri Bottas is also on an expiring deal at Mercedes as he’s currently on his second one-year deal. The Finn left a lot to desire last year, as the general consensus on him was that he didn’t challenge Hamilton enough at the top of the table.

This year, it’s a completely different story, as Bottas has often looked the better of the two Mercedes cars, and he’s very unlucky not to have won a race yet this season. The way that he’s been performing this season might mean that the Silver Arrows offer him a longer deal after this year, but Ferrari should definitely be keeping tabs on Bottas.

Kevin Magnussen

This is where a lot of you will probably disagree with me. K-Mag is a wildcard, yes, but there’s no denying his driving ability.

The Dane has scored nineteen points for Haas already this season, exactly nineteen points more than his teammate Romain Grosjean.

A former McLaren talent, Magnussenis still only 25 years old and has plenty of experience already in the F1 as he made his debut in 2014. A move to Ferrari could end in him and Vettel having a fight to the death, but they could bring the best out of each other as well.

Charles Leclerc

If you’re a rookie and you’re already being linked to Ferrari, you’re doing something right. And let me tell you, Charles Leclerc does a lot of things right.

The Monegasque has been in sensational form in his rookie campaign, finishing in the points in back-to-back races in what is probably the worst car on the grid.

Is 20 y/o Leclerc ready for the step up to Ferrari? Picture per Sauber F1 Media

He’s already accumulated more points for Sauber in the first five races than both Sauber cars did over the entirety of 2017, which says something about both the state of Sauber as well as the raw talent of Leclerc.

A Scuderia Academy product, Leclerc is already under contract at Ferrari. Sure, they can let him develop for a few more years at other teams, but why not take a punt? He can score points in a Sauber, imagine what he can do in a Ferrari!